Trailers, including those for boats, caravans and the like are particularly susceptible to theft, and instances of theft of trailers and caravans are occurring with increasing frequency. The security provisions commonly applied to cars are typically not suitable for trailers. For example, immobiliser type systems rely on interfering with the supply of power from the engine of a vehicle and, accordingly, have no utility in the protection of unpowered trailers from theft. Unpowered anti-theft devices, such as devices that interfere with the steering wheel of a motor vehicle, obviously have no application to trailers and the like.
Further, it is anticipated that a considerable portion of the market for anti-theft systems for trailers will be owners of existing trailers. Accordingly, the ease of installation of such devices to an existing trailer is of great importance.
The background to the present invention is discussed in the context of preventing/deterring theft of trailers. However, it should be understood that the application of the present invention extends to preventing/deterring theft of other wheeled vehicles, such as cars and motorcycles, as an alternative or complement to existing anti-theft systems.
The preceding discussion of the background to the invention is intended to facilitate an understanding of the present invention. However, it should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to was part of the common general knowledge in Australia as at the priority date of the application.
Throughout the specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.
Throughout this specification, unless the context requires otherwise, the word “trailer” will be understood to include all devices designed or arranged to be towed by a motor vehicle or truck, including but not limited to boat trailers, bike trailers, car trailers, caravans and horse floats.
A tyre may be rotated in two directions, one corresponding to the forward motion of the trailer and one to the rearward motion of the trailer. For the purposes of concise description, the former will be referred to as forward rotation, and the latter as rearward rotation.